Kantner was born in San Francisco, California, the daughter of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship bandmembers, singer Grace Slick (born Wing) and guitarist Paul Kantner.[1] She is a native of San Francisco, living first in the city itself, and later in Marin County, just north of the city, and is an alumna of Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California and Redwood High School, Larkspur, California.[citation needed] She has an older half-brother, Gareth Alexander Kantner, who works in the film industry,[2] and a younger half-brother, Alexander Kantner, who occasionally appears on-stage with Jefferson Starship playing bass guitar.[citation needed]

A common misbelief is that her name was originally "god" (with a small "g"), and was only later changed to "China". However, Jeff Tamarkin's 2003 book on the history of Jefferson Airplane, Got a Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane, explains this resulted from a sardonic remark made by her mother to a nurse.[3] In San Francisco County, a birth was registered for January 25, 1971, for a female child with the surname Kantner. The mother's maiden surname was Wing. No given name was registered for the child at that time.

While working for MTV, she was sometimes credited on-screen as "China Slick Kantner", although this was never her legal name.[citation needed] Later in her MTV career, she was credited simply as "China Kantner". In January 1988, she was interviewed by Jonathan King for the BBC TV show Entertainment USA as part of a feature on the children of rock stars working as MTV VJs. During this interview, she stated that, while she initially did not like her name, she grew to like it as she got older.[4]

She first appeared as an infant on the sleeve of the Kantner/Slick 1971 solo LP Sunfighter. She has also been given co-songwriting credits by her father on several of his songs. She also sang a song on his 1983 album Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra.

In July 1986, she appeared as a guest VJ on MTV, which led to her making regular appearances for the next four years during her summer vacations.[citation needed] When she started working for the station at the age of 15, she was, at the time, the youngest ever MTV VJ.[citation needed] As an MTV VJ, she interviewed her father for the MTV Summer of Love 20th anniversary celebrations.[citation needed] For a while around 1989, she also presented a Saturday night phone-in request show on a local Bay Area radio station, KRQR-FM.

Like her mother, Kantner has, over the years, struggled with alcoholism.[5] She has been sober since about 1998.[citation needed] She contributed a section to the book Playing It Straight by David Dodd, alongside her mother and other recovering substance abusers, such as Dennis Hopper, Steven Tyler and Ozzy Osbourne. In 1999, she married a Los Angeles dentist, Jamie Azdair, although the couple divorced in 2006.[citation needed] While they were married, she preferred to be known by her married name of China Azdair. On 13 April 2011, Kantner married actor and producer Seth Isler and, again taking her husband's name, now prefers to be known as China Isler.[citation needed]

After retiring from acting, she studied art history at UCLA.[citation needed] In 2007, she obtained a degree in Christian theology (with a minor in English) at Loyola Marymount University.[citation needed] In a 2007 interview, her mother stated, "My daughter loves studying Jesus. Some friends of hers turn their nose up at that. They don't understand that she is not talking about churches and what churches say; she is studying the actual words and message of Jesus."[6]

Kantner has, over the years, made several contributions to the music of Jefferson Starship as both songwriter and singer.[citation needed] However, she has also commented in interviews that she has no real musical aspirations of her own, claiming that she cannot sing very well.[citation needed] She has also said that having well-known musicians for parents actually lost her several parts, as directors automatically assumed she was also musical.[citation needed]

Kantner appeared as credited lead vocalist on the song "Declaration Of Independence", and contributing vocalist on "The Sky Is No Limit" and "Let's Go", all of which appear on Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra.[citation needed] She also made an uncredited appearance on the songs "Wooden Ships" and "Volunteers" on the 1995 live album, Deep Space/Virgin Sky, which was later re-released in an expanded form as Deeper Space/Extra Virgin Sky.[citation needed]

In 1983, she also appeared alongside both her parents in the video for the song Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra.[citation needed]

Jefferson Starship, Centre for Performing Arts, Cerritos, California, 6th or 7 September 2001. (Two shows played at this venue on consecutive days, but it is unclear which one featured China's appearance.)